North Korea sent its best troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine. But after months of suffering severe losses, they have been taken off the front line.

North Korean troops have not been seen on the frontlines in Russia’s Kursk region for several weeks, a Ukrainian military official said Friday, amid reports of mass casualties among Pyongyang’s forces.

The spokesman did not say how long that front line was. And while this is not the full picture, it does suggest significant North Korean casualties. Separately, the New York Times also reported that the North Koreans had been pulled off the front lines.

In the fog of war, whispers from the Ukrainian front lines reveal a curious absence. The once-present North Korean troops have seemingly vanished from the scene.

Ukrainian special operations forces have given an insight into the brutal, near-suicidal tactics of the North Koreans they have faced in intense fighting in the Russian border region of Kursk.

South Korea’s military says it suspects North Korea is preparing to send additional troops to Russia after its soldiers already deployed on the Russian-Ukraine war fronts suffered heavy casualties